The Mafia's Veil

ingle detail of the environment screamed corruption. The velvet curtains, the gleaming gold accents, the laugh

f perfume clung to the air, mingling with the pungent bite of expensive cigars. It was the kind of place where the very walls seemed to whi

rts, I couldn't shake th

was etched into my skin. Like a shadow on the edge of my vision, always there, always watching. It unsettled me in

power plays and deals that could change the course of lives. But it was hard to focus when the pulse of the club seem

ing, a familiar game for men like Lombardi. The type of game that kept the underworld running smoothly. The deal was done in a single, smoot

all into his palm. Drugs. Another deal, hidden in plain sight. The club was nothing more than a th

keep observing. But then I

e it wobbled, and before I could stop it, the amber liquid splashed across

ng down the side of his neck, disappearing beneath his collar. He was one of D

e was like ice, cutting t

heart raced in my chest, a frantic thud that matched the terror rising i

uared my shoulders

said, my voice steady, t

could see the contempt there, raw an

didn't step back, even as his cold stare bore down on me. Maybe it was stupidity. Maybe it was d

eat of violence hang in the air. But before it co

's en

nt

like it could stop the world

iberate, as though he was aware of the weight his presence carried. His dark eyes he

ded.

el cutting through the layers of who I wa

ter

. It was an exploration, testing the way it sounded on his lip

s attention was unbearable. I could feel everyone watch

ng across the floor, then back to me.

N

of his lips betraying something deeper. "Good." He let h

ushed, an adrenaline rush that mixed with

pace between us, until I could feel the heat radiating

r w

and unwavering, like a storm

noise fading into the background, as if t

hroat dry. "You want m

so subtle yet so definitive

y dose of fear. This was my chance. To get closer. To di

darker, more dangerous. And for the first time since I'd walked into this hellhole of a club, I wa